Healthy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk & Walnut Cookies

When you're gluten-free, it's usually about choosing the lesser of two dessert evils; eat a delicious gluten-free treat, but know that it's packed with extra sugar and butter. Or eat a "healthy" gluten-free treat, but know that it will taste like cardboard. Luckily, this cookie recipe doesn't fall in either category!

I have a major problem with cookies, you guys. I have a hard hard time eating just one. This recipe is no different, except I feel a liiitttllle less guilty knowing they are gluten-free and low in sugar. So, I'm not advocating eating a half dozen by yourself, but I won't judge you at the same time.

This gluten-free cookie recipe is made with almond meal, which is a very healthy alternative to traditional flour, or other gluten-free flours. I actually ground my own almond meal in a food processor by grinding up slivered almonds, but you can easily find it at the grocery store. The almond meal makes these cookies incredibly filling as well. Instead of butter, I opted for coconut oil (although butter can also be used).

To sweeten this recipe up, I chose the natural sweetener Stevia (in liquid form), and sprinkled in some brown sugar. The dark chocolate really shines in this recipe though. I used dark chocolate (70% cocoa) bars from Trader Joe's, and broke them up to create different-sized chunks. But chocolate chips can easily be used too (opt for dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips).

You know how when you make traditional cookies, you usually form them into little balls before baking them so that they create perfectly-shaped cookies? Yeah, that's not going to work with these. You have to press them down before you bake them so they look like real cookies and not some weird lumpy things. And parchment paper is key to make sure these cookies don't stick.

Ingredients

4 cups of almond meal or flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 eggs

1/2 coconut oil (or butter)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon liquid Stevia

3 tablespoons brown sugar

8 ounces of dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)

1/4 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If you are using chocolate chunks, break your chocolate bars up with a hammer or a meat tenderizer.

In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: almond meal, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, coconut oil (or butter), vanilla and Stevia.

After all of the wet ingredients are whisked together, mix it into the dry mixture. Whisk everything together. Then, fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.

Drop spoonfulls of the cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Use your hands to reshape them into circles, and flatten them with the back of a spoon (or your hands). Each cookie should be about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake the cookies for 25 minutes. The edges should be lightly browned. Place on a cooling rack until completely cool.

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